Canada committee calls for increased AIDS funding

BY Advocate.com Editors

June 07 2003 12:00 AM ET

Canada's House of Commons health committee on Thursday unanimously called for increased funding for HIV prevention and treatment programs in the country. Funding for Canadian HIV/AIDS programs has held steady at about $42.4 million (Canadian) for the past decade. Only $3.9 million of that amount went to HIV prevention efforts. "We're seeing a disproportionate amount going to treatment. Let's see what we can do to prevent more individuals from being infected," said Rob Merrifield, a member of the committee. The committee also recommended that more funding be given to prevention programs for heterosexuals and injection-drug users, which now account for the majority of the 4,000 new HIV infections reported each year in Canada.